Drone wireless communication diagnosis and correction

ABSTRACT

Methods, systems, and apparatus, including computer programs encoded on a storage device, for using a drone to identify a wireless network problem and initiate performance of one or more operations or actions that address the wireless network problem, the drone comprising a processor and a storage device, the storage device storing instructions that, when executed by the processor, cause the processor to perform operations comprising receiving, by the drone, an instruction to analyze a wireless network of a property, responsive to the instruction to analyze the wireless network, traveling, by the drone, to one or more zones of the property, determining, by the drone and based on an analysis of one or more characteristics of the wireless network, that a wireless network problem exists, and based on the determination that the wireless network problem exists, performing, by the drone, one or more operations directed to addressing the wireless network problem.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

This application claims the benefit of the U.S. Provisional PatentApplication No. 62/459,860 filed Feb. 16, 2017 and entitled “DroneWireless Communication Diagnosis and Correction,” which is incorporatedherein by reference in its entirety.

TECHNICAL FIELD

This specification relate's to wireless network troubleshooting.

BACKGROUND

The use of wireless networks such as a WiFi network is becomingincreasingly more prevalent. At many properties, the primary way toconnect to the Internet is a wireless network. Use of such wirelessnetworks enables a user of a user device connected to the wirelessnetwork and to move around the property, freely, while still maintaininga connection to the wireless network. However, reliance on a wirelessnetwork can be problematic if the user moves to a location that isassociated with weak wireless network, a dead-zone, or the like.

SUMMARY

The subject matter of the present disclosure is related to techniquesfor using one or more drones to diagnose wireless signal reach andinterference issues, among other wireless communication issues. One ormore drones may be configured to navigate to various locations within aproperty to better diagnose wireless communication issues throughout theproperty.

In some instances, the one or more drones may detect that a problem in awireless communication network. For example, the one or more drones maydetermine that the wireless signal strength in one or more zones of aproperty does not satisfy a predetermined signal strength threshold. Theone or more drones can perform one or more actions to correct thedetected problem in the wireless communication network. For example, theone or more drones may be able to move wireless routing componentsaround the property to provide users with the best wireless signalstrength and communication experience available at the location wherethe users desire to connect to wireless networks in the property.Alternatively, or in addition, the one or more drones may be equippedwith a light, laser, or other pointing instrument that the one or moredrones can use to point to a location where a wireless routing componentshould be positioned to provide users with the best signal strength andcommunication experience. Alternatively, or in addition, the one or moredrones may generate a wireless network status report that is transmittedto a user who can take actions to correct the detected problem.Alternatively, or in addition, the one or more drones may be equippedwith a wireless routing components (e.g., a repeater) that can be usedto temporarily boost wireless signal strength in the vicinity of thedrones.

For purposes of this specification, detection of a wireless networkproblem, includes the detection of any one or more characteristics of awireless network that indicate less than optimal wireless networkperformance. Examples of one or more characteristics that can bedetected as indicative of a wireless network problem include lack ofwireless network connection (or lack of ability to connect to a wirelessnetwork connection), wireless network signal strength below apredetermined threshold, a number of user devices on a network exceedinga predetermined threshold, amount of bandwidth used by a user deviceexceeding a predetermined threshold, amount of available bandwidth on aparticular spectrum of a wireless network falling below a predeterminedthreshold, or any combination thereof. However, wireless networkproblems may be detected based on the identification of yet othercharacteristics of a wireless network that are indicative of less thanoptimal wireless network performance.

According to one innovative aspect of the present disclosure, a drone isdisclosed that is configured to identify a wireless network problem andinitiate performance of one or more operations or actions that addressthe wireless network problem, the drone comprising one or moreprocessors and one or more storage devices, the one or more storagedevices storing instructions that, when executed by the one or moreprocessors, cause the one or more processors to perform operationscomprising: receiving, by the drone, an instruction to analyze awireless network of a property, in response to the instruction toanalyze the wireless network of the property, traveling, by the drone,to one or more zones of the property, determining, by the drone andbased on an analysis of one or more characteristics of the wirelessnetwork, that a wireless network problem exists, and based on thedetermination that the wireless network problem exists, performing, bythe drone, one or more operations directed to addressing the wirelessnetwork problem.

Other aspects include corresponding methods, systems, and computerprograms to perform actions of methods defined by instructions encodedon computer storage devices.

These and other versions may optionally include one or more of thefollowing features. For instance, in some implementations, receiving, bythe drone, an instruction to analyze a wireless network of the propertyincludes receiving, by the drone, an instruction to analyze the wirelessnetwork in one or more zones of the property from a user device of anoccupant of the property.

In some implementations, traveling, by the drone, to one or more zonesof the property includes traveling, by the drone, from a chargingstation that is located at a first zone of the property to a second zoneof the property that corresponds to the one or more zones.

In some implementations, receiving, by the drone, an instruction toanalyze a wireless network of the property includes receiving, by thedrone, an instruction to analyze a wireless network in one or more zonesof the property from a user device of a technician that is diagnosingthe wireless network of the property.

In some implementations, traveling, by the drone, to one or more zonesof the property includes traveling, by the drone, from a third zone thatis remote from the property to a fourth zone that corresponds to the oneor more zones.

In some implementations, receiving, by the drone, an instruction toanalyze a wireless network of a property includes receiving, by thedrone, an instruction to perform a wireless network diagnostic for oneor more zones of the property from a monitoring system control unit thatis configured to monitor sensor data generated by one or more sensors atthe property, wherein the monitoring system control unit provides theinstruction to the drone responsive to a determination that themonitoring system control unit cannot communicate with a sensor that islocated in a particular zone of the property.

In some implementations, determining, by the drone and based on ananalysis of one or more characteristics of the wireless network, that awireless network problem exists includes determining, by the drone,whether connectivity to the wireless network can be established in theone or more zones, and in response to a determination, by the drone,that connectivity to the wireless network cannot be established in atleast one zone of the one or more zones, determining, by the drone, thata wireless network problem exists.

In some implementations, determining, by the drone and based on ananalysis of one or more characteristics of the wireless network, that awireless network problem exists includes determining, by the drone,whether an upload speed of the wireless network in at least one of theone or more zones satisfies a predetermined threshold, and in responseto a determination, by the drone, that the upload speed of the wirelessnetwork in at least one of the one or more zones satisfies apredetermined threshold, determining, by the drone, that a wirelessnetwork problem exists.

In some implementations, determining, by the drone and based on ananalysis of one or more characteristics of the wireless network, that awireless network problem exists includes determining, by the drone,whether a download speed of the wireless network satisfies one or morepredetermined thresholds, and in response to a determination, by thedrone, that the download speed of the wireless network in at least oneof the one or more zones satisfies a predetermined threshold,determining, by the drone, that a wireless network problem exists.

In some implementations, determining, by the drone and based on ananalysis of one or more characteristics of the wireless network, that awireless network problem exists includes determining, by the drone,whether a number of packet retries satisfies a predetermined threshold,and in response to a determination, by the drone, that the number ofpacket retries in at least one of the one or more zones satisfies apredetermined threshold, determining, by the drone, that a wirelessnetwork problem exists.

In some implementations, determining, by the drone and based on ananalysis of one or more characteristics of the wireless network, that awireless network problem exists includes identifying, by the drone, eachof devices connected to the wireless network, determining, by the droneand for each device connected to the wireless network, whether thebandwidth used by the device satisfies a predetermined threshold forbandwidth usage by a single device, and in response to a determination,by the drone, that the bandwidth used by one or more devices satisfies apredetermined threshold for bandwidth usage by a single device,determining, by the drone, that a wireless network problem exists.

In some implementations, determining, by the drone and based on ananalysis of one or more characteristics of the wireless network, that awireless network problem exists includes analyzing wireless networksignal strength to determine whether the wireless network signalstrength satisfies a predetermined wireless network signal strength, andin response to a determination, by the drone, that the wireless networkstrength satisfies a predetermined wireless network signal strength,determining, by the drone, that a wireless network problem exists.

In some implementations, determining, by the drone and based on ananalysis of one or more characteristics of the wireless network, that awireless network problem exists includes obtaining, by the drone andusing a spectrum analyzer, data describing the level of saturationassociated with at least a portion of the wireless spectrum for aportion of the wireless network in one or more of the zones, determininga level of saturation of the wireless spectrum for a portion of thewireless network in the one or more zones, determining whether the levelof saturation of the wireless spectrum for a portion of the wirelessnetwork in the one or more zones satisfies a predetermined threshold,and in response to a determination that the level of saturation of thewireless spectrum for a portion of the wireless network in the one ormore zones satisfies a predetermined threshold, determining, by thedrone, that a wireless network problem exists.

In some implementations, performing, by the drone, one or moreoperations directed to addressing the wireless network problem wirelessnetwork problem includes determining, by the drone, a location forplacement of a wireless repeater or wireless router that would addressthe existing wireless network problem, generating, by the drone, amessage that includes data identifying the determined location forplacement of the wireless repeater or wireless router that address theexisting wireless network problem, and providing, by the drone, themessage that includes data identifying the determined location forplacement of the wireless repeater or wireless router that would addressthe wireless network problem to a user device.

In some implementations, performing, by the drone, one or moreoperations directed to addressing the wireless network problem wirelessnetwork problem includes determining, by the drone, a location forplacement of a wireless repeater or wireless router that would addressthe existing wireless network problem, and outputting, by the drone, alight or a laser that illuminates the determined location.

In some implementations, performing, by the drone, one or moreoperations directed to addressing the wireless network problem wirelessnetwork problem includes determining, by the drone, a location forplacement of a wireless repeater or wireless router that would addressthe existing wireless network problem, obtaining, by the drone, abattery-powered repeater, and positioning, by the drone, thebattery-powered repeater at the determined location.

In some implementations, performing, by the drone, one or moreoperations directed to addressing the wireless network problem wirelessnetwork problem includes providing, by the drone, one or moreinstructions to a wireless repeater or a wireless router to adjust oneor more wireless network parameters associated with the wirelessnetwork.

In some implementations, performing, by the drone, one or moreoperations that initiate performance of one or more other operations oractions that address the existing wireless network problem includes (i)providing, by the drone, a message that includes data identifying adetermined location for placement of a wireless repeater or wirelessrouter that would address the wireless network problem to a user device,(ii) outputting, by the drone, a light or a laser that illuminates adetermined location for placement of a wireless repeater or wirelessrouter that would address the wireless network problem, (iii)positioning, by the drone, a battery-powered wireless repeater at adetermined location for placement of the battery-powered wirelessrepeater that would address the wireless network problem, or (iv)providing, by the drone, one or more instructions to a wireless repeateror a wireless router to adjust one or more wireless network parametersassociated with the wireless network.

The monitoring system described by the present disclosure providesmultiple advantages over existing systems. For example, the presentdisclosure enables a property owner or occupant to use a drone to (i)evaluate the status of a wireless network at the property and (ii) takeone or more operations to improve the performance of the wirelessnetwork if one or more wireless network problems are detected. Inaddition, the disclosure also enables a wireless network technician touse a drone to evaluate and correct wireless network problems fromremote location. For example, the wireless network technician can deploya drone to a property location but remain at a remote location from theproperty and monitor the readings of drone sensors and evaluaterecommendations triggered by the drone based on the drone's evaluationof the wireless network.′

In addition, the present disclosure provides a monitoring system thatcan heal wireless network problems that the monitoring system detectsdue to lack of communication with one or more components of themonitoring system such as a camera or a sensors. When the monitoringsystem determines that the monitoring system can no longer detect, orcommunicate with, a camera, sensor, or other monitoring systemcomponent, the monitoring system can deploy a drone to evaluate thewireless network and correct any wireless network problems that aredetected. This provides the monitoring system with a mechanism forautomatic wireless network maintenance which increases the performanceof the monitoring system.

These and other advantages are apparent from the following the writtendescription, the drawings, and the claims.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a contextual diagram of an example of a system for deploying adrone to diagnose a wireless network.

FIGS. 2A-2B provide contextual diagrams of an example of a system fordeploying a drone to diagnose a wireless network.

FIGS. 2C-2D provide contextual diagrams of an example of a dronecorrecting a problem in a wireless network.

FIGS. 2E-2F provide contextual diagram of another example of a dronecorrecting a problem in a wireless network.

FIG. 3 is another example of a contextual diagram of a system fordeploying a drone to diagnosis a wireless network.

FIG. 4 is flowchart of an example of a process for using a drone todiagnose and correct a problem in a wireless network.

FIG. 5 is a block diagram of a monitoring system that employs drones.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

FIG. 1 is a contextual diagram of an example of a system 100 fordeploying a drone 140 to diagnose a wireless network 150. The system 100includes at least a wireless router 120, a drone 140, and a wirelessnetwork 150 produced by the wireless router 120. Though the example ofsystem 100 includes only one drone, the present disclosure need not beso limited. As, other implementations that use multiple drones thatperform the same, or similar, actions in the same, or different, zonesof property 101 may also fall within the scope of the presentdisclosure.

The system 100 may also include a user device 103, one or more cameras108 a, 108 b, 108 c, 108 d, 108 e, a monitoring system control unit 110,one or more wireless network repeaters 125 a, 125 b, 125 c, a wirelesscharging station 130, network 160, one or more communications links 162,a monitoring application server 170, and a remote client device 180. Thewirelessly charging station 130 includes charging stations that cancharge a battery of a drone 140 wirelessly without requiring the drone140 to make physical contact with the charging station. Alternatively,or in addition, the wireless charging station 130 can also charge abattery of a drone 140 through physical contacts of a drone 140 when thedrone 140 lands on the wireless charging station 130.

In FIG. 1, a user 102 has experienced poor wireless connectivity issueswhen trying to access the internet via wireless network 150 using aclient device. To remedy this problem, the user 102 accesses anapplication installed on the user's 102 user device 103 that is capableof communicating with the drone device 140 using the wireless network150 (or some other communication channel such as a cellular network orshort range radio). The user 103 may input data into the applicationinstalled on the user's 102 user device that includes a request for thedrone device to (i) navigate to Room B and (i) perform wirelessdiagnostics on the wireless network within Room B.

The user device 103 may transmit one or more instructions to the drone140, based on the user's request. For instance, the one or moreinstructions may include an instruction to (i) navigate to Room B, and(ii) perform a wireless network diagnostic of the wireless network inRoom B. In response, the drone 140 may depart from a wireless chargingstation 130, and navigate along a navigation path 132 to Room B. Thedrone 140 may autonomously navigate to Room B along a travel path 132using a map of the property 101 stored in the drone's local memory.Alternatively, the user 102 may manually pilot the drone 140 using theuser device 103. To facilitate manual flight, the drone 140 may use anonboard camera to stream a live video feed back to the user's 102 userdevice 103 via the network 150 or another network (e.g., a cellularnetwork). In some implementations, the drone 140 may provide a livevideo feed back to the user's 102 user device 103 even when performingautonomous flight. Alternatively, or in addition, the user's 102 userdevice 102 may be configured to receive one or more video streams fromone or more cameras 108 a, 108 b, 108 c, 108 d, 108 e located throughoutthe property 101 that can be used to monitor the drone's 140 flight.

The example of system 101 includes a flying, quadcopter drone as thedrone that navigates the property 101. However, the present disclosureneed not be so limited. For instance, the system 101 may use in additionto, or in place of, the drone 140 one or more land-based drones thatwalk, roll, or the like on the ground.

The drone 140 may be equipped with a wireless network diagnostic device142 that can be used to diagnose the wireless network 150. The wirelessnetwork diagnostic device 142 may include a combination of hardware andsoftware tools can be used to analyze the performance of the wirelessnetwork 150 to determine if a wireless network problem exists. Analyzingthe performance of the network 150 to determine if a wireless networkproblem exists may include evaluating wireless network connectivity todetermine whether connectivity to the wireless network can beestablished a zone of the property such as a zone where the drone islocated, evaluating the speed of the wireless network 150 by determiningwhether an upload speed of the wireless network or a download speed ofthe wireless network satisfies one or more predetermined thresholds,evaluating the number and type of devices currently connected to thewireless network 150, evaluating the amount of bandwidth consumed byeach device that is currently connected to the wireless network 150 bydetermining whether the amount of bandwidth used by each device or eachtype of device that is currently connected to the network satisfies oneor more predetermined threshold, evaluating the number of packet retriesby determining whether a number of packet retries required by the dronewhile making test uploads or downloads across the wireless networksatisfies a predetermined threshold, or the like. In someimplementations, the drone 140 may also be equipped with an on-boardwireless network repeater that is capable of boosting a detectedwireless network signal in an effort to increase the strength of thewireless network signal, range of the wireless network signal, or thelike.

In yet other implementations, the drone 140 may be equipped with awireless frequency spectrum analyzer that can be used to analyze theperformance of the wireless network 150 to determine if a wirelessnetwork problem exists. For example, the drone may use the wirelessfrequency spectrum analyzer to obtain data describing the level ofsaturation associated with at least a portion of the wireless spectrum(e.g., the 5 GHz band, the 2.4 GHZ band, or the like) in one or morezones of the property such as the zone where the drone currently islocated. The drone may analyze the data obtained using the wirelessfrequency spectrum analyzer to determine a level of saturation of thewireless spectrum used by the wireless network the one or more zones.For example, the drone can determine how active transmitters in thespectrum are. This may include, for example, determining how muchavailable bandwidth is available in the spectrum and how much of thespectrum is saturated. Based on the analysis of the data obtained usingthe wireless frequency, the drone may determine whether the level ofsaturation of the wireless spectrum for a portion of the wirelessnetwork one or more of the zones satisfies a predetermined threshold. Insome implementations, for example, the drone may determine whether apredetermined percentage of the wireless spectrum's bandwidth isavailable for use by one or more devices.

In some implementations, analyzing the wireless network may include ananalysis of the transmission of data by one or more devices connected tothe network. For example, the drone may determine based on spectrumanalysis that less than an available amount of bandwidth is availablefor use in a particular zone. In such instances, drone can analyze theuse of data by devices connected to the network and identify devicesthat are sending information to devices remote from the property. Insuch instances, the drone 140 may determine that transmission of morethan a threshold amount of data to a remote device may be indicative ofa network hack that is causing congestion on the network.

The drone 140 arrives in the Room B. The drone 140 may move around toone or more different zones within Room B, and use its wireless networkdiagnostic device 142 to analyze the performance of the wireless network150. For example, the drone 140 may navigate to zone A and analyze theperformance of the wireless network 150 in zone A. The drone 140 maynavigate to zone B and analyze the performance of the wireless network150 in zone B. In this example, the drone 140 may detect a problem inthe wireless network 150 in zone A. For example, the drone 140 maydetermine that wireless network connectivity in zone A is less reliablethan wireless network connectivity in zone B because the wirelessnetwork 150 signal strength in zone A falls below a predeterminedsignal-strength threshold. As a result, the drone 140 may determine thatthe wireless network signal boost provided by wireless repeater 125 c isnot sufficient to provide a moderate or strong wireless network signalto zone A.

The drone 140 may detect the wireless network problem in zone A and takeone or more actions to improve the performance of the wireless networkin zone A. In some instances, the drone 140 can move one or more typesof wireless network equipment into zone A, closer to zone A, or thelike. For example, the drone 140 may navigate to wireless networkrepeater 125 c, deploy an extendable arm that can engage the wirelessrepeater 125 c, and move the wireless repeater 125 c closer to zone A.Alternatively, or in addition, the drone 140 may navigate to a locationthat provides a supply of wireless network repeaters, deploy anextendable arm that can engage a wireless network repeater from thesupply, navigate back to zone A, and the place the wireless networkrepeater in zone A. Alternatively, or in addition, the drone 140 may usea pointing instrument such as a light, a laser, an extendable arm, orthe like to point to a location within Room B that would be an optimallocation for positioning a wireless network repeater to boost thewireless network signal in zone A. The drone could then notify a user's102 user device 103 with instructions for the user 102 to place awireless network repeater at the location in Room B indicated by thedrone's pointing instrument. Alternatively, the drone 140 may transmit amessage to the user's 102 user device 103 that provides a summary ofwireless network problem detected in zone A. The user 102 may receivethe message and may take appropriate steps to remedy the wirelessnetwork problem in zone A.

In some implementations, the drone 140 may perform other actions afterdetecting a wireless network problem in one or more zones of a portionof a property. For example, the drone 140 may determine, based on dataobtained from a spectrum analyzer that there is less than a thresholdamount of bandwidth is available for a portion of the wireless networkin a particular zone. In such instances, the drone 140 may generate andtransmit one or more instructions to a wireless router or wirelessrepeater to adjust the wireless network parameters associated with thezone. For example, the drone 140 may instruct a wireless router toactivate an additional network band. In one implementations, forexample, the drone 140 may determine that more than a threshold amountof a 2.4 GHz band has become saturated in a particular zone, and theninstruct a wireless router to activate a 5 GHz band. Alternatively, forexample, the drone 140 may determine that less than a threshold amountof a 5 GHz band is available in a particular zone, and then instruct awireless router to activate a second 5 GHz band. In yet another example,the drone 140 may determine that more than a threshold amount ofbandwidth is available of a first 5 GHz band in a zone, and theninstruct a wireless router to deactivate a second 5 GHz band that iscurrently activated in the zone.

In some implementations, in response to the detection of a network hack,the drone 140 may correct an overly congested wireless network byprohibiting one or more devices from accessing the wireless network 150.For example, if a camera is determined, by the drone 140, to becompromised by a network hack (or otherwise is determined to be usingmore than a threshold amount of bandwidth), the drone 140 can transmitone or more instructions to the camera, a wireless router, or both, thatinitiate removal of the camera from the wireless network 150. Byprohibiting the camera from using the wireless network 150, availablebandwidth will become available on wireless network 150. Such a solutionmay be used, by the drone 140, for any device determined to using morethan a threshold amount of bandwidth and not just for devices that arecompromised by a network hack. For example, a drone 140 may transmit oneor more instructions to cut off network access to a smartphone (or anyother device) that has exceeded a threshold amount of bandwidth usage.

In some implementations, prior to taking any of the corrective actionsidentified above, the drone 140 may use an onboard repeater to boost thewireless network signal strength of the zone where the wireless networkproblem was detected. The drone 140 may then re-evaluate the wirelessnetwork signal strength in the zone to determine if signal boostprovided by the drone's onboard wireless repeater remedies the detectedwireless network problem (e.g., if the wireless signal strength withinthe zone now satisfies a predetermine wireless signal strengththreshold). In some implementations, the drone 140 may move around tomultiple different locations within a zone with the onboard repeaterrunning to evaluate the wireless signal strength of each differentplacement of the onboard repeater within the zone. If the dronedetermines that the drone's 140 onboard repeater was successfulidentifying an optimal placement of the drone's 140 onboard repeaterwithin the zone that remedies the wireless network problem detectedwithin the zone, then the drone 140 may take one or more of thecorrective actions identified above (e.g., move a wireless networkrepeater to the optimal placement, point the optimal placement of awireless network repeater within the zone, transmit a notification tothe user of the optimal placement of a wireless network repeater withinthe zone, a combination thereof, or the like).

The example of FIG. 1 is an example that relies on a user 102 toinstruct a drone 140 to deploy to perform wireless network diagnosis andcorrection. However, the present disclosure need not be so limited.Instead, other network components shown in FIG. 1 may be used toinstruct the drone 140 to deploy to perform wireless network diagnosisand correction. For instance, a monitoring system control unit 110 mayperiodically monitor the output of one or more wireless network signalsensors placed throughout the property 101 and detect a problem in thesensor readings. For example, one or more wireless signal sensors mayprovide an output that is indicative of lack of a wireless networksignal, a weak wireless network signal, or the like.

Alternatively, or in addition, the monitoring system control unit 110may infer a wireless network problem based on the monitoring of one ormore other sensors located throughout the property 101. For example, themonitoring system control unit 110 may periodically monitor the outputof one or more sensors installed in the property 101 such as motiondetectors, temperature sensors, cameras, or the like. In some instances,the monitoring system control unit 110 may lose the ability tocommunicate with the one or more sensors. Then, based on the inabilityto communicate with one or more sensors in a particular zone of theproperty 101, the monitoring system control unit 110 may infer theexistence of a wireless network problem.

In some implementations, the monitoring application server 170 maytransmit an instruction to the drone 140 (using the network 160 and oneor more communications links 162) to deploy and perform wireless networkdiagnosis and correction in response to a detected wireless networkproblem (e.g., lack of wireless network signal strength detected by oneor more sensors, poor wireless signal strength detected by one or moresensors, or the like). However, in some implementations, the monitoringapplication server 170 may instruct the drone 140 to perform wirelessdiagnosis and correction independent of one or more local sensorsreadings. For instance, the monitoring application server 10 maytransmit an instruction to the drone 140 to perform wireless diagnosisand correction in response to a request from the user 102.

Alternatively, or in addition, the remote client device 180 may instructthe drone 140 to deploy and perform wireless network diagnosis andcorrection. For instance, one or more persons may be home in property101, and call another person that is remote from property 101 tocomplain of apparent wireless network problems in property 101. Inresponse, the person that is remote from property 101 may use the mobiledevice 180 to transmit an instruction to the drone 140 to deploy andperform wireless network diagnosis and correction.

Incoming requests for access to the drone 140 may be subject toauthentication procedures. For example, a remote user of the user device180 may need to input a username and password combination, answersecurity questions, input biometric data, or the like before the userdevice 180 is able to access and instruct the drone 140. Similarauthentication may need to be performed on incoming requests to accessthe drone 140 that originate from the monitoring application server 170.

FIGS. 2A-2B provide contextual diagrams of an example of a system fordeploying a drone 140 to diagnose a wireless network.

In FIG. 2A, the drone 140 may deploy on a navigation path 131 afterreceiving an instruction to deploy and perform a wireless diagnosis andcorrection. The stage of wireless diagnosis and correction performed bythe drone 140 in FIG. 2A includes the drone 140 traveling to each of oneor more zones of Room A and analyzing the performance of the wirelessnetwork within each respective zone. In some implementations, zones maybe predefined to include, e.g., zones of predetermined size (e.g.,x-feet high by x-feet wide by x-feet long). In other implementations,the drone 140 may dynamically identify natural boundaries between zonesbased on the changes in wireless network performance within a particularroom of a property. Regardless of the method used to identify a zone,the drone 140 travels to each zone (or a particular zone), and thenanalyzes the wireless network performance of each zone.

By way of example, the drone 140 may analyze the wireless networkperformance of each respective zone A, B, and C. Analyzing theperformance of the network in each of the respective zones may includeevaluating wireless network connectivity, evaluating the speed of thewireless network, evaluating the number and type of devices currentlyconnected to the network, evaluating the number of packet retries, orthe like. In one implementation, the drone 140 may analyze the strengthof the wireless network signal to determine whether the strength of thewireless network signal satisfies a predetermined threshold. Based onthe analysis of zones, A, B, and C, the drone may determine that thezone A has a weak wireless network signal, the zone B has a moderatewireless network signal, and the zone C has a strong network signal. Inresponse to determining that zone A is associated with a weak wirelessnetwork signal strength, drone 140 may take actions to correct the weakwireless signal strength identified in zone A. Different approaches forcorrecting the low wireless signal in stage A will be discussed withrespect to FIGS. 2C-2D and FIG. 2E-2F below.

FIGS. 2C-2D provide contextual diagrams of an example of a drone 140correcting a problem in a wireless network.

In FIG. 2C, the drone 140 can take measures to correct the weak wirelessnetwork signal detected in zone A. In this example, the drone 140 maydetect the source of the wireless network signal that is being broadcastin Room A and attempt to reposition the source of the wireless networksignal. For example, with reference to FIG. 2C, the drone 140 mayidentify the wireless network router 120 as being the source of thewireless network signal that is broadcast in Room A. The drone 140 maynavigate to the wireless network router 120, deploy an extendible arm143, and then move the wireless network router 120 along a path 210 to alocation within Room A that results in a more evenly distributedwireless network signal.

For example, as shown in FIG. 2D, the drone 140 may reposition thewireless network router 120 at a central location of Room A. The resultof the drone's 140 repositioning of the wireless network router 120 iszone B (e.g., an area of the Room A that is closest in proximity to therouter 120) having a strong signal while each adjacent zones A and Ceach respectively have a moderate signal as they are each within thesame predetermined distance of the wireless network router 120.

The drone 140 may include one or more onboard processors capable ofdetermining a predetermined distance from the wireless network router120 where the broadcast wireless network signals may be of sufficientstrength to create a stable network connection. The drone 140 maystrategically position the wireless network router 120 to ensure optimalaccess to the wireless network signals through Room A.

In some implementations, the drone 140 may perform other actions afterdetecting a wireless network problem in one or more zones of a portionof a property. For example, the drone 140 may generate a report thatindicates that a wireless network problem exists in zone A of the RoomA. The drone 140 may transmit the report to a user device 103. Thereport may include, for example, one or more instructions that triggerthe generation of an alert notification on the user's 102 user device103. The alert notification may include data that indicates the presenceof a wireless network problem in zone A. In some implementations, thealert notification may include data identifying a location where awireless router or wireless repeater may be placed in order to correctthe wireless network problem. The user 102 may then take action toremedy the wireless network problem that exists in zone A by, forexample, moving the wireless network router 120 closer to zone A,placing a wireless network repeater in zone A, or the like.

Once one or more steps have been taken to correct the wireless networkproblem, the drone 140 may return to the zone of the property (e.g.,zone A) that was previously identified as being associated with awireless network problem. The drone 140 may then analyze the wirelessnetwork performance in the zone to determine whether the correctivemeasures performed have sufficiently resolved the wireless networkproblem that was previously detected in the zone. For example, the drone140 may determine whether the wireless signal strength in the zonesatisfies a predetermined threshold. If the drone 140 determines thatthe wireless signal strength in the zone satisfies the predeterminedthreshold, the drone 140 may continue to analyze the wireless networkperformance in one or more other zones of the property or return to awireless drone charging station 130 to charge the drone's 140 battery.Alternatively, if the drone 140 determines that the wireless signalstrength in the zone does not satisfy the predetermined threshold, thedrone 140 may perform one or more corrective measures to resolve thedetected wireless network problem (e.g., move the wireless networkrouter, notify a user device, or the like).

FIGS. 2E-2F provide contextual diagram of another example of a drone 140correcting a problem in a wireless network.

The drone 140 may not be capable of relocating a wireless network router120 to resolve detected problems in wireless network connections. Forexample, the wireless network router 120 may be physically connected toa cable line, Ethernet line, power cord, or the like. However, the drone140 may strategically position other types of wireless network equipmentto resolve a detected problem in a wireless network.

In FIG. 2E, the drone 140 may determine to correct the problem detectedin Zone A by strategically placing a wireless network repeater 125 a toboost the wireless network signal in zone A. In one implementation, thedrone 140 may navigate to a wireless network repeater 125 a, deploy anextendable arm 143, and engage the wireless network repeater 125 a. Thewireless network repeater 125 a may include a wireless network repeater125 a that was already present in Room A. In some implementations, thedrone 140 may navigate to a location within the property that includes asupply of multiple wireless network repeaters that can be used toresolve problems in the wireless network 150. The drone 140 may move thewireless network repeater 125 a along a path 212 into zone A in aneffort to boost the wireless network signal in Zone A.

For example, as shown in FIG. 2F, the drone 140 may strategicallyposition the wireless network repeater 125 a within zone A. The resultof the drone's 140 strategic placement of the wireless network repeater125 a within zone A is that the wireless repeater enhances the weaksignal that was previously existent in zone A and makes the wirelessnetwork signal in zone A stronger. In addition, the enhanced wirelessnetwork signal broadcast by repeater A now complements the wirelessnetwork signal broadcast by router 120. The result is that each zone ofRoom A has a strong wireless signal. The drone 140 may include one ormore onboard processors capable of determining the best placement forthe wireless network repeater 125 a.

In some implementations, the drone 140 may perform other actions afterdetecting a wireless network problem in one or more zones of a portionof a property. For example, the drone 140 may generate a report thatindicates that a wireless network problem exists in zone A of the RoomA. The drone 140 may transmit the report to a user device 103. Thereport may include, for example, one or more instructions that triggerthe generation of an alert notification on the user's 102 user device103. The alert notification may include data that indicates the presenceof a wireless network problem in zone A. The user 102 may then takeaction to remedy the wireless network problem that exists in zone A by,for example, moving a wireless network repeater 120 closer to zone A,placing a wireless network repeater 125 a in zone A, or the like.

Once one or more steps have been taken to correct the wireless networkproblem, the drone 140 may return to the zone of the property (e.g.,zone A) that was previously identified as being associated with awireless network problem. The drone 140 may then analyze the wirelessnetwork performance in the zone to determine whether the correctivemeasures performed have sufficiently resolved the wireless networkproblem that was previously detected in the zone. For example, the drone140 may determine whether the wireless signal strength in the zonesatisfies a predetermined threshold. If the drone 140 determines thatthe wireless signal strength in the zone satisfies the predeterminedthreshold, the drone 140 may continue to analyze the wireless networkperformance in one or more other zones of the property or return to awireless drone charging station 130 to charge the drone's 140 battery.Alternatively, if the drone 140 determines that the wireless signalstrength in the zone does not satisfy the predetermined threshold, thedrone 140 may perform one or more corrective measures to resolve thedetected wireless network problem (e.g., move the wireless networkrouter, notify a user device, or the like).

The examples of FIGS. 2C-2D and 2E-2F provide solutions that aregenerally permanent until the wireless network router, wireless networkrepeater, or both, fail, are moved, or the like. However, the drone 140may be capable of providing less permanent solutions to problemsdetected in the wireless network 150. For example, the drone 140 may beequipped with a built-in wireless network repeater. In such instances,the drone 140 may navigate to one or more zones, and use the drone's 140onboard repeater to boost the wireless network signal of the zone wherethe drone 140 resides. In such instances, when a user is located in aportion of the property where a problem in the wireless network exists,the user could summon the drone 140 using the user's user device,transmit an instruction to the drone 140 using the user's user devicethat initiates functionality of the drone's 140 wireless networkrepeater, and the user can access the wireless network that is enhancedby the drone's 140 wireless network repeater.

FIG. 3 is another example of a contextual diagram of a system fordeploying a drone to diagnosis a wireless network.

The examples above describe a single drone 140 navigating to one or morezones in a particular room of a property 101 in order to analyze thewireless network 150 performance in the one or more zones of theparticular room. However, the present disclosure need not be so limited.For example, a drone 140 can be deployed as a diagnostic tool to analyzethe performance of the wireless network in each zone of every room of aproperty 101 in order to maximize the effectiveness of the wirelessnetwork 150.

With reference to FIG. 3, a user 102 may possess a user device 103 thatincludes a mobile application that is configured to communicate with thedrone 140 using the network 150 (or some other network such as acellular network). The user 103 may input data into the mobileapplication installed on the user's 102 user device that includes arequest for the drone device to navigate through the entire property 101and analyze the performance of the wireless network 150 in each zone ofeach room in the property 101.

In response to the request from the user's device, the drone 140 maydeploy from the wireless charging station 130 a and proceed to analyzethe performance of the wireless network each zone of every room in theproperty 101. For instance, the drone 140 may analyze every zone in RoomD at stage A. The drone 140 may navigate to Room C and analyze theperformance of the wireless network in each zone of Room C at stage B.The drone 140 may navigate to Room B and analyze the performance of thewireless network in each zone of Room B at stage C. The drone 140 maynavigate to Room A and analyze the performance of the wireless networkin each zone of Room A at stage E.

The drone 140 may generate a map such as a heat map for the entireproperty that provides an indication of the performance of the wirelessnetwork in each zone of the property 101. The drone 140, the user 102,or some other entity may then use the generated heat map to reconfigurethe wireless network components used to broadcast the radio signals thatcreate the wireless network 150. For instance, the drone 140 maynavigate to, engage using an extendable arm, and reposition one or morewireless network repeaters 125 a, 125 b, 125 c, the wireless router 120,or the like based on one or more problems identified in the generatedheat map. The wireless network components may be repositioned asdiscussed with respect to FIGS. 2A-2E.

Though a local user 102 using a local device 103 initiated deployment ofthe drone 140 to perform wireless network performance analysis of eachzone of each room of the entire property, the present disclosure neednot be so limited. For instance, the local user 102 may initiatedeployment of the drone 140 to each zone of less than all rooms, lessthan all zones of each room, or any combination of zones and rooms asnecessary to analyze the performance of wireless network 150

Similarly, the present disclosure is not limited to a local user 102initiating deployment of the drone 140 to perform the wireless networkperformance and analysis described with respect to FIG. 3. Instead, themonitoring system control unit 110 may initiate the same dronedeployment and wireless network analysis. For instance, the monitoringsystem control unit 110 may periodically (e.g., once a week, once amonth, once a year, or the like) instruct a drone to navigate throughoutthe property to analyze the performance of the wireless network andoptimize the performance of the wireless network.

Alternatively, or in addition, the monitoring application server 170 ora remote client device 180 may similarly initiate drone deployment andwireless network performance analysis remotely via the network 160 andone or more communications links 162. Incoming requests for access tothe drone 140 may be subject to authentication procedures. For example,a remote user of the user device 180 may need to input a username andpassword combination, answer security questions, input biometric data,or the like before the user device 180 is able to access and instructthe drone 140. Similar authentication may need to be performed onincoming requests to access the drone 140 that originate from themonitoring application server 170.

In some implementations, the drone may perform one or more of theoperations described with reference to FIG. 3 and determine that nowireless network problems exists. For example, the drone may receive aninstruction to navigate to one or more zones of the property, analyzethe wireless network performance in the one or more zones, but thendetermine that the wireless network performance is performing toexpectations. The wireless network may be determined to be performing toexpectations if each of set of wireless network characteristics areassociated with a value that satisfies a predetermined performancethresholds. In such instances, the drone is capable of determining thatthe wireless network is performing to expectations and then generating areport that indicates that the current status of the wireless network ineach of the one or more zones is satisfactory. In some implementations,even when the wireless network in one or more zones is determined to besatisfactory (e.g., each of one or more wireless network characteristicsare determined to satisfy one or more thresholds for the particularwireless network characteristic), the drone may determine valuesassociated with the one or more wireless network characteristicsassociated with the wireless network, and then generate a report thatcan be transmitted to a user device that summarizes the valuesassociated with the one or more wireless network characteristics.

FIG. 4 is flowchart of an example of a process 400 for using a drone todiagnose and correct a problem in a wireless network. Generally, theprocess 400 includes receiving an instruction to perform a wirelessnetwork diagnostic for one or more zones of a property (410), travelingon a navigational path through the property to the one or more zones(420), analyzing the wireless network in the one or more zones todetermine if a wireless network problem exists (430), and performing oneor more actions to correct the detected problem (440).

In more detail, the process 400 begins at stage 410 by receiving aninstruction to perform a wireless network diagnostic for one or morezones of a property. For example, a drone may receive an instructionfrom a user device that instructs the drone to deploy and analyze theperformance of one or more zones of one or more rooms of a particularproperty. The user device may include a user device of an occupant ofthe property or a user device of a technician that is working on thewireless network. Alternatively, the drone may receive an instruction todeploy and analyze the performance of a wireless network in one or morezones of one or more rooms of a property from a monitoring systemcontrol unit, a remote monitoring application server, a remote userdevice, or the like. Alternatively, the instruction may be received froma memory device of the drone based on the determination that it iscurrently time for a scheduled evaluation of the wireless network. Forexample, the drone may store a schedule of one or more dates and timeswhen the drone is supposed to navigate the property and evaluate thewireless network. In such instances, upon detection that a current timesatisfies the scheduled time, the drone may receive and process aninstruction to analyze the wireless network from a wireless networkevaluation scheduling application, receive and process an instruction toanalyze the wireless network that is stored in a memory device of thedrone, receive and process an instruction to analyze the wirelessnetwork from a cloud server that communicates with the drone, or acombination thereof.

In one or more of the aforementioned implementations, the instruction toanalyze the wireless network may be associated with a time delay period.In such instances, the drone may receive an instruction to analyze awireless network that is triggered and then received in response to adetermination, by the drone, that the time delay period has expired.

In response to processing an instruction to perform a wireless networkdiagnostic from one or more zones of a property, the drone may travel420 on a navigational path to the one or more zones. In someimplementations, the drone may navigate to one or more particular zonesin one or more particular rooms of the property. Alternatively, thedrone may navigate to each zone of each room of the property. The scopeof the drone's navigation throughout the property and the extent of thedrone's analysis will be based on the instruction received by the droneat stage 410. For instance, the incoming instruction may specify theextent to which the drone is supposed to travel through the property andanalyze the performance of the network (e.g., every zone, every room, asubset of zones, a subset of rooms, or the like).

In some implementations, the drone may travel on a navigation path tothe one or more zones that begins in the property and ends in theproperty. For example, a legitimate occupant of the property may use auser device to instruct the drone to navigation from a current locationsuch as a charging station to a particular zone of the property.However, the present disclosure need not be so limited. For example, insome implementations, the drone may belong to a third party serviceprovider such as an internet service provider, wireless networktechnician, or the like. In such instances, the drone may be at alocation that is remote from the property such as at a location owned,operated, leased, or the like by the third party service provider suchas an internet service provider, wireless network technician services,or the like In such instances, the a third party such as an internetservice provider, wireless network technician, or the like may instructthe drone to navigate from the location that is remote from the propertyto the property, to a particular zone of the property, or the like. Insuch implementations, the drone may be configured to navigate from theremote location to the property, and then await approval from alegitimate occupant of the property for the drone to enter the propertyand continue navigation to the one or more zones to diagnose thewireless network of the zone.

The drone may analyze 430 the wireless network in the one or more zonesto determine if a wireless network problem exists. Analyzing theperformance of the wireless network to determine if a wireless networkproblem exists may include evaluating wireless network connectivity todetermine whether connectivity to the wireless network can beestablished in a zone of the property such as a zone where the drone islocated, evaluating the speed of the wireless network by determiningwhether an upload speed of the wireless network or a download speed ofthe wireless network satisfies one or more predetermined thresholds,evaluating the number and type of devices currently connected to thewireless network, evaluating the amount of bandwidth consumed by eachdevice that is currently connected to the wireless network bydetermining whether the amount of bandwidth used by each device or eachtype of device that is currently connected to the network satisfies oneor more predetermined threshold, evaluating the number of packet retriesby determining whether a number of packet retries required by the dronewhile making test uploads or downloads across the wireless networksatisfies a predetermined threshold, or the like. Such analysis may beperformed on a zone-by-zone basis, based on instructions received fromthe local user device, monitoring system control unit, remote monitoringapplication server, remote user device, or the like.

In some implementations, analyzing the wireless signal strength mayinclude the drone using an onboard repeater to boost the wirelessnetwork signal strength of the zone where the wireless network problemwas detected. The drone may then re-evaluate the wireless network signalstrength in the zone to determine if the signal boost provided by thedrone's onboard wireless repeater remedies the detected wireless networkproblem (e.g., if the wireless signal strength within the zone nowsatisfies a predetermine wireless signal strength threshold after thewireless signal strength is boosted by the drone's onboard repeater). Insome implementations, analyzing the wireless signal strength may includethe drone moving around to multiple different locations within a zonewith the onboard repeater running to evaluate the wireless signalstrength of each different placement of the onboard repeater within thezone.

In some implementations, the drone may be equipped with a wirelessfrequency spectrum analyzer that can be used to analyze the performanceof the wireless network. In such implementations, analyzing performanceof the wireless network may include the drone using the wirelessfrequency spectrum analyzer to obtain data describing the level ofsaturation associated with at least a portion of the wireless spectrum(e.g., the 5 GHz band, the 2.4 GHZ band, or the like) in one or morezones of the property such as the zone where the drone currently islocated. The drone may analyze the data obtained using the wirelessfrequency spectrum analyzer to determine a level of saturation of thewireless spectrum used by the wireless network the one or more zones.For example, the drone can determine how active transmitters in thespectrum are. This may include, for example, determining how muchavailable bandwidth is available in the spectrum and how much of thespectrum is saturated. Based on the analysis of the data obtained usingthe wireless frequency, the drone may determine whether the level ofsaturation of the wireless spectrum for a portion of the wirelessnetwork one or more of the zones satisfies a predetermined threshold. Insome implementations, for example, the drone may determine whether apredetermined percentage of the wireless spectrum's bandwidth isavailable for use by one or more devices.

In response to the detection of a wireless network problem (e.g.,because the wireless network signal strength does not exceed apredetermined threshold) within a particular zone, the drone may perform440 one or more actions to correct the detected problem. For example,the one or more drones may be able to move a wireless network repeaterinto the zone associated with the problem in an effort to boost thewireless network signal strength in the zone associated with theproblem. Alternatively, the drone may use a pointing device such as alight, laser, deployable arm, or the like to point to the place in theroom where a repeater could be placed in order to boost the wirelesssignal for the room.

In some implementations, prior to taking such corrective actions, thedrone may evaluate the practicality of the corrective action. Forexample, the drone may determine that placing wireless repeater in themiddle of the room on the floor resolves the wireless network problem.However, the drone may determine that a corrective action that requiresplacing a repeater on the floor in the middle of the room is notpractical because people may trip over the repeater. In response todetermining that a determined corrective action is not practicable, thedrone may continue to analyze the wireless network, and determine analternative corrective action.

Alternatively, or in addition, one or more drones may be equipped with awireless routing components (e.g., a repeater) that can be used totemporarily boost wireless signal strength in the vicinity of thedrones. For example, the drone may navigate to the zone associated withthe problem, activate the drone's wireless network repeater, and boostthe wireless network signal associated with the zone. Alternatively, orin addition, the one or more drone may generate a wireless networkstatus report that is transmitted to a user who can take actions tocorrect the detected problem. In some implementations, the drone may beconfigured to generate and transmit instructions to one or more wirelessrepeaters or one or more wireless routers that instruct one or more ofthe wireless repeaters or wireless routers to adjust one or morewireless repeater or wireless router settings, respectively. Forexample, the drone may instruct a wireless router to activate ordeactivate a spectrum band (e.g., activate or deactivate a 5 GHz,activate or deactivate a 2.4 GHz band, or the like).

FIG. 5 is a block diagram of a monitoring system that employs drones.

The electronic system 500 includes a network 505, a monitoring systemcontrol unit 510, one or more user devices 540, 550, and a monitoringapplication server 560. In some examples, the network 505 facilitatescommunications between the monitoring system control unit 510, the oneor more user devices 540, 550, and the monitoring application server560.

The network 505 is configured to enable exchange of electroniccommunications between devices connected to the network 505. Forexample, the network 505 may be configured to enable exchange ofelectronic communications between the monitoring system control unit510, the one or more user devices 540, 550, and the monitoringapplication server 560. The network 505 may include, for example, one ormore of the Internet, Wide Area Networks (WANs), Local Area Networks(LANs), analog or digital wired and wireless telephone networks (e.g., apublic switched telephone network (PSTN), Integrated Services DigitalNetwork (ISDN), a cellular network, and Digital Subscriber Line (DSL)),radio, television, cable, satellite, or any other delivery or tunnelingmechanism for carrying data. Network 505 may include multiple networksor subnetworks, each of which may include, for example, a wired orwireless data pathway. The network 505 may include a circuit-switchednetwork, a packet-switched data network, or any other network able tocarry electronic communications (e.g., data or voice communications).For example, the network 505 may include networks based on the Internetprotocol (IP), asynchronous transfer mode (ATM), the PSTN,packet-switched networks based on IP, X.25, or Frame Relay, or othercomparable technologies and may support voice using, for example, VoIP,or other comparable protocols used for voice communications. The network505 may include one or more networks that include wireless data channelsand wireless voice channels. The network 505 may be a wireless network,a broadband network, or a combination of networks including a wirelessnetwork and a broadband network.

The monitoring system control unit 510 includes a controller 512 and anetwork module 514. The controller 512 is configured to control amonitoring system (e.g., a home alarm or security system) that includesthe monitoring system control unit 510. In some examples, the controller512 may include a processor or other control circuitry configured toexecute instructions of a program that controls operation of an alarmsystem. In these examples, the controller 512 may be configured toreceive input from sensors, detectors, or other devices included in thealarm system and control operations of devices included in the alarmsystem or other household devices (e.g., a thermostat, an appliance,lights, etc.). For example, the controller 512 may be configured tocontrol operation of the network module 514 included in the monitoringsystem control unit 510.

The network module 514 is a communication device configured to exchangecommunications over the network 505. The network module 514 may be awireless communication module configured to exchange wirelesscommunications over the network 505. For example, the network module 514may be a wireless communication device configured to exchangecommunications over a wireless data channel and a wireless voicechannel. In this example, the network module 514 may transmit alarm dataover a wireless data channel and establish a two-way voice communicationsession over a wireless voice channel. The wireless communication devicemay include one or more of a LTE module, a GSM module, a radio modem,cellular transmission module, or any type of module configured toexchange communications in one of the following formats: LTE, GSM orGPRS, CDMA, EDGE or EGPRS, EV-DO or EVDO, UMTS, or IP.

The network module 514 also may be a wired communication moduleconfigured to exchange communications over the network 505 using a wiredconnection. For instance, the network module 514 may be a modem, anetwork interface card, or another type of network interface device. Thenetwork module 514 may be an Ethernet network card configured to enablethe monitoring system control unit 510 to communicate over a local areanetwork and/or the Internet. The network module 514 also may be avoiceband modem configured to enable the alarm panel to communicate overthe telephone lines of Plain Old Telephone Systems (POTS).

The monitoring system that includes the monitoring system control unit510 includes one or more sensors or detectors. For example, themonitoring system may include multiple sensors 520. The sensors 520 mayinclude a wireless network sensor, contact sensor, a motion sensor, aglass break sensor, or any other type of sensor included in an alarmsystem or security system. The sensors 520 also may include anenvironmental sensor, such as a temperature sensor, a water sensor, arain sensor, a wind sensor, a light sensor, a smoke detector, a carbonmonoxide detector, an air quality sensor, etc. The sensors 520 furthermay include a health monitoring sensor, such as a prescription bottlesensor that monitors taking of prescriptions, a blood pressure sensor, ablood sugar sensor, a bed mat configured to sense presence of liquid(e.g., bodily fluids) on the bed mat, etc. In some examples, the sensors520 may include a radio-frequency identification (RFID) sensor thatidentifies a particular article that includes a pre-assigned RFID tag.

The monitoring system control unit 510 communicates with the module 522and the camera 530 to perform surveillance or monitoring. The module 522is connected to one or more devices that enable home automation control.For instance, the module 522 may be connected to one or more lightingsystems and may be configured to control operation of the one or morelighting systems. Also, the module 522 may be connected to one or moreelectronic locks at the property and may be configured to controloperation of the one or more electronic locks (e.g., control Z-Wavelocks using wireless communications in the Z-Wave protocol. Further, themodule 522 may be connected to one or more appliances at the propertyand may be configured to control operation of the one or moreappliances. The module 522 may include multiple modules that are eachspecific to the type of device being controlled in an automated manner.The module 522 may control the one or more devices based on commandsreceived from the monitoring system control unit 510. For instance, themodule 522 may cause a lighting system to illuminate an area to providea better image of the area when captured by a camera 530.

The camera 530 may be a video/photographic camera or other type ofoptical sensing device configured to capture images. For instance, thecamera 530 may be configured to capture images of an area within abuilding monitored by the monitoring system control unit 510. The camera530 may be configured to capture single, static images of the area andalso video images of the area in which multiple images of the area arecaptured at a relatively high frequency (e.g., thirty images persecond). The camera 530 may be controlled based on commands receivedfrom the monitoring system control unit 510.

The camera 530 may be triggered by several different types oftechniques. For instance, a Passive Infra Red (PIR) motion sensor may bebuilt into the camera 530 and used to trigger the camera 530 to captureone or more images when motion is detected. The camera 530 also mayinclude a microwave motion sensor built into the camera and used totrigger the camera 530 to capture one or more images when motion isdetected. The camera 530 may have a “normally open” or “normally closed”digital input that can trigger capture of one or more images whenexternal sensors (e.g., the sensors 520, PIR, door/window, etc.) detectmotion or other events. In some implementations, the camera 530 receivesa command to capture an image when external devices detect motion oranother potential alarm event. The camera 530 may receive the commandfrom the controller 512 or directly from one of the sensors 520.

In some examples, the camera 530 triggers integrated or externalilluminators (e.g., Infra Red, Z-wave controlled “white” lights, lightscontrolled by the module 522, etc.) to improve image quality when thescene is dark. An integrated or separate light sensor may be used todetermine if illumination is desired and may result in increased imagequality.

The camera 530 may be programmed with any combination of time/dayschedules, system “arming state”, or other variables to determinewhether images should be captured or not when triggers occur. The camera530 may enter a low-power mode when not capturing images. In this case,the camera 530 may wake periodically to check for inbound messages fromthe controller 512. The camera 530 may be powered by internal,replaceable batteries if located remotely from the monitoring controlunit 510. The camera 530 may employ a small solar cell to recharge thebattery when light is available. Alternatively, the camera 530 may bepowered by the controller's 512 power supply if the camera 530 isco-located with the controller 512.

In some implementations, the camera 530 communicates directly with themonitoring application server 560 over the Internet. In theseimplementations, image data captured by the camera 530 does not passthrough the monitoring system control unit 510 and the camera 530receives commands related to operation from the monitoring applicationserver 560.

The system 500 further includes one or more robotic devices 580 and 582.The robotic devices are capable of moving and taking actions to assistwith analyzing the performance of one or more wireless communicationslinks such as communications links 524, 526, 528, 538, 584, 586. Thewireless communication links may include, for example, a local wi-finetwork, and other wireless networks, as described below. The roboticdevices 580 and 582 may be equipped with a combination of hardware andsoftware that can be used to run diagnostic tests on one or more of thewireless communications links 524, 526, 528, 538, 584, 586. Thecombination and hardware and software that can be used to run diagnostictests on the one or more of the wireless communications links 524, 526,528, 538, 584, 586 can be employed by the robotic devices 580 and 582 todetect problems in the wireless communications links 524, 526, 528, 538,584, 586.

The one or more robotic devices 580 and 582 may also be equipped tocorrect problems detected in the network. For instance, the roboticdevices 580 and 582 may be equipped with an extendible appendage whichcan be deployed and used to engage one or more network components usedto generate the wireless communications links. Once the robotic devices580 and 582 engages as network component, the robotic devices 580 and582 may move the network component within a predetermined vicinity ofthe detected problem in order to boost the communication links' signal.The robotic devices 580 and 582 may be equipped with a wireless networkrepeater that can be used to boost the wireless signal of acommunication link associated with a detected problem.

The robotic devices 580 and 582 may be any type of robots that arecapable of moving and taking actions throughout a property. For example,the robotic devices 580 and 582 may include drones that are capable ofmoving throughout a property based on automated control technologyand/or user input control provided by a user. In this example, thedrones may be able to fly, roll, walk, or otherwise move about theproperty. The drones may include helicopter type devices (e.g., quadcopters), rolling helicopter type devices (e.g., roller copter devicesthat can fly and also roll along the ground, walls, or ceiling) and landvehicle type devices (e.g., automated cars that drive around aproperty). In some cases, the robotic devices 580 and 582 may be roboticdevices that are intended for other purposes and merely associated withthe monitoring system 500 for use in appropriate circumstances. Forinstance, a robotic vacuum cleaner device may be associated with themonitoring system 500 as one of the robotic devices 580 and 582 and maybe controlled to take action responsive to monitoring system events.

In some examples, the robotic devices 580 and 582 automatically navigatewithin a property. In these examples, the robotic devices 580 and 582include sensors and control processors that guide movement of therobotic devices 580 and 582 within the property. For instance, therobotic devices 580 and 582 may navigate within the property using oneor more cameras, one or more proximity sensors, one or more gyroscopes,one or more accelerometers, one or more magnetometers, a globalpositioning system (GPS) unit, an altimeter, one or more sonar or lasersensors, and/or any other types of sensors that aid in navigation abouta space. The robotic devices 580 and 582 may include control processorsthat process output from the various sensors and control the roboticdevices 580 and 582 to move along a path that reaches the desireddestination and avoids obstacles. In this regard, the control processorsdetect walls or other obstacles in the property and guide movement ofthe robotic devices 580 and 582 in a manner that avoids the walls andother obstacles.

In addition, the robotic devices 580 and 582 may store data thatdescribes attributes of the property. For instance, the robotic devices580 and 582 may store a floorplan and/or a three-dimensional model ofthe property that enables the robotic devices 580 and 582 to navigatethe property. During initial configuration, the robotic devices 580 and582 may receive the data describing attributes of the property,determine a frame of reference to the data (e.g., a home or referencelocation in the property), and navigate the property based on the frameof reference and the data describing attributes of the property.Further, initial configuration of the robotic devices 580 and 582 alsomay include learning of one or more navigation patterns in which a userprovides input to control the robotic devices 580 and 582 to perform aspecific navigation action (e.g., fly to an upstairs bedroom and spinaround while capturing video and then return to a home charging base).In this regard, the robotic devices 580 and 582 may learn and store thenavigation patterns such that the robotic devices 580 and 582 mayautomatically repeat the specific navigation actions upon a laterrequest.

In some implementations, the robotic devices 580 and 582 may includeoutput devices. In these implementations, the robotic devices 580 and582 may include one or more displays, one or more speakers, one or moreprojectors, and/or any type of output devices that allow the roboticdevices 580 and 582 to communicate information to a nearby user. The oneor more projectors may include projectors that project a two-dimensionalimage onto a surface (e.g., wall, floor, or ceiling) and/or holographicprojectors that project three-dimensional holograms into a nearby space.

The robotic devices 580 and 582 also may include a communication modulethat enables the robotic devices 580 and 582 to communicate with themonitoring system control unit 510, each other, and/or other devices.The communication module may be a wireless communication module thatallows the robotic devices 580 and 582 to communicate wirelessly. Forinstance, the communication module may be a Wi-Fi module that enablesthe robotic devices 580 and 582 to communicate over a local wirelessnetwork at the property. The communication module further may be a 900MHz wireless communication module that enables the robotic devices 580and 582 to communicate directly with the monitoring system control unit510. Other types of short-range wireless communication protocols, suchas Bluetooth, Bluetooth LE, Zwave, Zigbee, etc., may be used to allowthe robotic devices 580 and 582 to communicate with other devices in theproperty.

The robotic devices 580 and 582 further may include processor andstorage capabilities. The robotic devices 580 and 582 may include anysuitable processing devices that enable the robotic devices 580 and 582to operate applications and perform the actions described throughoutthis disclosure. In addition, the robotic devices 580 and 582 mayinclude solid state electronic storage that enables the robotic devices580 and 582 to store applications, configuration data, collected sensordata, and/or any other type of information available to the roboticdevices 580 and 582.

The robotic devices 580 and 582 are associated with one or more chargingstations 590 and 592. The charging stations 590 and 592 may be locatedat predefined home base or reference locations in the property. Therobotic devices 580 and 582 may be configured to navigate to thecharging stations 590 and 592 after completion of tasks needed to beperformed for the monitoring system 500. For instance, after completionof a monitoring operation or upon instruction by the monitoring systemcontrol unit 510, the robotic devices 580 and 582 may be configured toautomatically fly to and land on one of the charging stations 590 and592. In this regard, the robotic devices 580 and 582 may automaticallymaintain a fully charged battery in a state in which the robotic devices580 and 582 are ready for use by the monitoring system 500.

The charging stations 590 and 592 may be contact based charging stationsand/or wireless charging stations. For contact based charging stations,the robotic devices 580 and 582 may have readily accessible points ofcontact that the robotic devices 580 and 582 are capable of positioningand mating with a corresponding contact on the charging station. Forinstance, a helicopter type robotic device may have an electroniccontact on a portion of its landing gear that rests on and mates with anelectronic pad of a charging station when the helicopter type roboticdevice lands on the charging station. The electronic contact on therobotic device may include a cover that opens to expose the electroniccontact when the robotic device is charging and closes to cover andinsulate the electronic contact when the robotic device is in operation.

For wireless charging stations, the robotic devices 580 and 582 maycharge through a wireless exchange of power. In these cases, the roboticdevices 580 and 582 need only locate themselves closely enough to thewireless charging stations for the wireless exchange of power to occur.In this regard, the positioning needed to land at a predefined home baseor reference location in the property may be less precise than with acontact based charging station. Based on the robotic devices 580 and 582landing at a wireless charging station, the wireless charging stationoutputs a wireless signal that the robotic devices 580 and 582 receiveand convert to a power signal that charges a battery maintained on therobotic devices 580 and 582.

In some implementations, each of the robotic devices 580 and 582 has acorresponding and assigned charging station 590 and 592 such that thenumber of robotic devices 580 and 582 equals the number of chargingstations 590 and 592. In these implementations, the robotic devices 580and 582 always navigate to the specific charging station assigned tothat robotic device. For instance, the robotic device 580 may always usechanging station 590 and the robotic device 582 may always use changingstation 592.

In some examples, the robotic devices 580 and 582 may share chargingstations. For instance, the robotic devices 580 and 582 may use one ormore community charging stations that are capable of charging multiplerobotic devices 580 and 582. The community charging station may beconfigured to charge multiple robotic devices 580 and 582 in parallel.The community charging station may be configured to charge multiplerobotic devices 580 and 582 in serial such that the multiple roboticdevices 580 and 582 take turns charging and, when fully charged, returnto a predefined home base or reference location in the property that isnot associated with a charger. The number of community charging stationsmay be less than the number of robotic devices 580 and 582.

Also, the charging stations 590 and 592 may not be assigned to specificrobotic devices 580 and 582 and may be capable of charging any of therobotic devices 580 and 582. In this regard, the robotic devices 580 and582 may use any suitable, unoccupied charging station when not in use.For instance, when one of the robotic devices 580 and 582 has completedan operation or is in need of battery charge, the monitoring systemcontrol unit 510 references a stored table of the occupancy status ofeach charging station and instructs the robotic device to navigate tothe nearest charging station that is unoccupied.

The communication links 524, 526, 528, 532, 584, and 586 may include alocal network. The sensors 520, the module 522, the camera 530, thethermostat 534, and the robotic devices 580 and 582 and the controller512 may exchange data and commands over the local network. The localnetwork may include 802.11 “WiFi” wireless Ethernet (e.g., usinglow-power WiFi chipsets), Z-Wave, Zigbee, Bluetooth, “Homeplug” or other“Powerline” networks that operate over AC wiring, and a Category 5(CAT5) or Category 6 (CAT6) wired Ethernet network. The local networkmay be a mesh network constructed based on the devices connected to themesh network.

The monitoring application server 560 is an electronic device configuredto provide monitoring services by exchanging electronic communicationswith the monitoring system control unit 510, the one or more userdevices 540, 550, and the central alarm station server 570 over thenetwork 505. For example, the monitoring application server 560 may beconfigured to monitor events (e.g., alarm events) generated by themonitoring system control unit 510. In this example, the monitoringapplication server 560 may exchange electronic communications with thenetwork module 514 included in the monitoring system control unit 510 toreceive information regarding events (e.g., alarm events) detected bythe monitoring system control unit 510. The monitoring applicationserver 560 also may receive information regarding events (e.g., alarmevents) from the one or more user devices 540, 550.

The one or more user devices 540, 550 are devices that host and displayuser interfaces. For instance, the user device 540 is a mobile devicethat hosts one or more native applications (e.g., robotic deviceinterface application 542, 552). The user device 540 may be a cellularphone or a non-cellular locally networked device with a display. Theuser device 540 may include a cell phone, a smart phone, a tablet PC, apersonal digital assistant (“PDA”), or any other portable deviceconfigured to communicate over a network and display information. Forexample, implementations may also include Blackberry-type devices (e.g.,as provided by Research in Motion), electronic organizers, iPhone-typedevices (e.g., as provided by Apple), iPod devices (e.g., as provided byApple) or other portable music players, other communication devices, andhandheld or portable electronic devices for gaming, communications,and/or data organization. The user device 540 may perform functionsunrelated to the monitoring system, such as placing personal telephonecalls, playing music, playing video, displaying pictures, browsing theInternet, maintaining an electronic calendar, etc.

The user device 540 includes a robotic device interface application 542,552. The robotic device interface application 542, 552 refers to asoftware/firmware program running on the corresponding mobile devicethat enables the user interface and features for communicating with arobotic device 580, 582. The user device 540 may load or install therobotic device interface application 542, 552 based on data receivedover a network or data received from local media. The robotic deviceinterface application 542, 552 runs on mobile devices platforms, such asiPhone, iPod touch, Blackberry, Google Android, Windows Mobile, etc. Therobotic device interface application 542, 552 may provide facilitatecommunication with the one or more robotic devices 580, 582 using one ormore communication links 524, 526, 528, 538, 584, 586.

In other implementations, the system 500 further includes network 505and the sensors 520, the module 522, the camera 530, and the roboticdevices 580 and 582 are configured to communicate sensor and image datato the one or more user devices 540, 550 over network 505 (e.g., theInternet, cellular network, etc.). In yet another implementation, thesensors 520, the module 522, the camera 530, and the robotic devices 580and 582 (or a component, such as a bridge/router) are intelligent enoughto change the communication pathway from a direct local pathway when theone or more user devices 540, 550 are in close physical proximity to thesensors 520, the module 522, the camera 530, and the robotic devices 580and 582 to a pathway over network 505 when the one or more user devices540, 550 are farther from the sensors 520, the module 522, the camera530, and the robotic devices 580 and 582. In some examples, the systemleverages GPS information from the one or more user devices 540, 550 todetermine whether the one or more user devices 540, 550 are close enoughto the sensors 520, the module 522, the camera 530, and the roboticdevices 580 and 582 to use the direct local pathway or whether the oneor more user devices 540, 550 are far enough from the sensors 520, themodule 522, the camera 530, and the robotic devices 580 and 582 that thepathway over network 505 is required. In other examples, the systemleverages status communications (e.g., pinging) between the one or moreuser devices 540, 550 and the sensors 520, the module 522, the camera530, and the robotic devices 580 and 582 to determine whethercommunication using the direct local pathway is possible. Ifcommunication using the direct local pathway is possible, the one ormore user devices 540, 550 communicate with the sensors 520, the module522, the camera 530, and the robotic devices 580 and 582 using thedirect local pathway. If communication using the direct local pathway isnot possible, the one or more user devices 540, 550 communicate with thesensors 520, the module 522, the camera 530, and the robotic devices 580and 582 using the pathway over network 505.

In some implementations, the system 500 provides end users with accessto images captured by the camera 530 to aid in decision making. Thesystem 500 may transmit the images captured by the camera 530 over awireless WAN network to the user devices 540, 550. Because transmissionover a wireless WAN network may be relatively expensive, the system 500uses several techniques to reduce costs while providing access tosignificant levels of useful visual information.

In some implementations, a state of the monitoring system and otherevents sensed by the monitoring system may be used to enable/disablevideo/image recording devices (e.g., the camera 530). In theseimplementations, the camera 530 may be set to capture images on aperiodic basis when the alarm system is armed in an “Away” state, butset not to capture images when the alarm system is armed in a “Stay”state or disarmed. In addition, the camera 530 may be triggered to begincapturing images when the alarm system detects an event, such as analarm event, a door opening event for a door that leads to an areawithin a field of view of the camera 530, or motion in the area withinthe field of view of the camera 530. In other implementations, thecamera 530 may capture images continuously, but the captured images maybe stored or transmitted over a network when needed.

The invention claimed is:
 1. A drone that is configured to identify awireless network problem and initiate performance of one or moreoperations or actions that address the wireless network problem, thedrone comprising a body, one or more processors and one or more storagedevices, the one or more storage devices storing instructions that, whenexecuted by the one or more processors, cause the one or more processorsto perform operations comprising: receiving, by the drone, aninstruction to analyze a wireless network of a property; in response tothe instruction to analyze the wireless network of the property,traveling, by the drone, to a zone of the property; determining, by thedrone and based on an analysis of one or more characteristics of thewireless network, that the wireless network problem exists at the zone;based on the determination that the wireless network problem exists:activating, by the drone, a wireless routing component that is housedwithin the body of the drone; after the activation of the wirelessrouting component, evaluating, by the drone, respective signal strengthsof the wireless network at different locations within the zone; based onthe evaluation of the respective signal strengths of the wirelessnetwork at different locations within the zone, determining, by thedrone, that the activation of the wireless routing component increasedsignal strengths at one or more of the different locations within thezone; and confirming, by the drone, that the wireless network problem isattributable to placement of an external network component within thezone.
 2. The drone of claim 1, wherein receiving, by the drone, theinstruction to analyze the wireless network of the property comprises:receiving, by the drone, the instruction to analyze the wireless networkin the zone of the property from a user device of an occupant of theproperty.
 3. The drone of claim 2, wherein traveling, by the drone, tothe zone of the property comprises: traveling, by the drone, from acharging station that is located at a first zone of the property to asecond zone of the property that corresponds to the zone of theproperty.
 4. The drone of claim 1, wherein receiving, by the drone, theinstruction to analyze the wireless network of the property comprises:receiving, by the drone, the instruction to analyze the wireless networkin the zone of the property from a user device of a technician that isdiagnosing the wireless network of the property.
 5. The drone of claim4, wherein traveling, by the drone, to the zone of the propertycomprises: traveling, by the drone, from a third zone that is remotefrom the property to a fourth zone that corresponds to the zone.
 6. Thedrone of claim 1, wherein receiving, by the drone, the instruction toanalyze the wireless network of the property comprises: receiving, bythe drone, a request to perform a wireless network diagnostic for thezone of the property from a monitoring system control unit that isconfigured to monitor sensor data generated by one or more sensors atthe property, wherein the monitoring system control unit provides therequest to the drone responsive to a determination that the monitoringsystem control unit cannot communicate with a sensor that is located inthe zone of the property.
 7. The drone of claim 1, wherein determining,by the drone and based on the analysis of the one or morecharacteristics of the wireless network, that the wireless networkproblem exists comprises: determining, by the drone, whetherconnectivity to the wireless network can be established in the zone; andin response to the determination, by the drone, that connectivity to thewireless network cannot be established in the zone, determining, by thedrone, that the wireless network problem exists.
 8. The drone of claim1, wherein determining, by the drone and based on the analysis of theone or more characteristics of the wireless network, that the wirelessnetwork problem exists comprises: determining, by the drone, whether anupload speed of the wireless network in the zone satisfies apredetermined threshold; and in response to the determination, by thedrone, that the upload speed of the wireless network in the zonesatisfies the predetermined threshold, determining, by the drone, thatthe wireless network problem exists.
 9. The drone of claim 1, whereindetermining, by the drone and based on the analysis of the one or morecharacteristics of the wireless network, that the wireless networkproblem exists comprises: determining, by the drone, whether a downloadspeed of the wireless network in the zone satisfies a secondpredetermined threshold; and in response to the determination, by thedrone, that the download speed of the wireless network in the zonesatisfies the second predetermined threshold, determining, by the drone,that the wireless network problem exists.
 10. The drone of claim 1,wherein determining, by the drone and based on the analysis of the oneor more characteristics of the wireless network, that the wirelessnetwork problem exists comprises: determining, by the drone, whether anumber of packet retries satisfies a third predetermined threshold; andin response to the determination, by the drone, that the number ofpacket retries in the zone satisfies the third predetermined threshold,determining, by the drone, that the wireless network problem exists. 11.The drone of claim 1, wherein determining, by the drone and based on theanalysis of the one or more characteristics of the wireless network,that the wireless network problem exists comprises: identifying, by thedrone, each of devices connected to the wireless network; determining,by the drone and for each device connected to the wireless network,whether bandwidth used by the device satisfies a predetermined thresholdfor bandwidth usage by a single device; and in response to thedetermination, by the drone, that the bandwidth used by one or moredevices satisfies the predetermined threshold for bandwidth used by thedevice, determining, by the drone, that the wireless network problemexists.
 12. The drone of claim 1, wherein determining, by the drone andbased on the analysis of the one or more characteristics of the wirelessnetwork, that the wireless network problem exists comprises: analyzingwireless network signal strength to determine whether the wirelessnetwork signal strength satisfies a predetermined wireless networksignal strength; and in response to the determination, by the drone,that the wireless network strength satisfies the predetermined wirelessnetwork signal strength, determining, by the drone, that the wirelessnetwork problem exists.
 13. The drone of claim 1, wherein determining,by the drone and based on the analysis of the one or morecharacteristics of the wireless network, that the wireless networkproblem exists comprises: obtaining, by the drone and using a spectrumanalyzer, data describing a first level of saturation associated with atleast a portion of the wireless spectrum for a portion of the wirelessnetwork in the zone; determining a second level of saturation of thewireless spectrum for the portion of the wireless network in the zone;determining whether the second level of saturation of the wirelessspectrum for the portion of the wireless network in the zone satisfies afourth predetermined threshold; and in response to the determinationthat the second level of saturation of the wireless spectrum for theportion of the wireless network in the zone satisfies the fourthpredetermined threshold, determining, by the drone, that the wirelessnetwork problem exists.
 14. The drone of claim 1, wherein: the externalnetwork component comprises a wireless repeater or a wireless router;and the operations further comprise: determining, by the drone, alocation for placement of the wireless repeater or the wireless routerthat would address the wireless network problem; generating, by thedrone, a message that includes data identifying the determined locationfor placement of the wireless repeater or the wireless router that wouldaddress the wireless network problem; and providing, by the drone and toa user device, the message that includes data identifying the determinedlocation for placement of the wireless repeater or the wireless routerthat would address the wireless network problem.
 15. The drone of claim14, wherein the operations further comprise outputting, by the drone, alight or a laser that illuminates the determined location for placementof the wireless repeater or the wireless router that would address thewireless network problem.
 16. The drone of claim 14, wherein theoperations further comprise: obtaining, by the drone, a battery-poweredrepeater; and positioning, by the drone, the battery-powered repeater atthe determined location for placement of the wireless repeater or thewireless router that would the wireless network problem.
 17. The droneof claim 14, wherein the operations further comprise providing, by thedrone, one or more instructions to the wireless repeater or the wirelessrouter to adjust one or more wireless network parameters associated withthe wireless network.
 18. The drone of claim 1, wherein: the externalnetwork component comprises a wireless repeater or a wireless router;and the operations further comprise: performing, by the drone, one ormore operations that initiate performance of one or more otheroperations or actions that address the wireless network problem, whereinthe one or more operations comprise: (i) determining, by the drone, alocation for placement of the wireless repeater or the wireless routerthat would address the wireless network problem (ii) providing, by thedrone and to a user device, a message that includes data identifying thelocation for placement of the wireless repeater or the wireless routerthat would address the wireless network problem; (iii) outputting, bythe drone, a light or a laser that illuminates the location forplacement of the wireless repeater or the wireless router that wouldaddress the wireless network problem; (iv) positioning, by the drone, abattery-powered wireless repeater at the location for placement of thebattery-powered wireless repeater that would address the wirelessnetwork problem; or providing, by the drone, one or more instructions tothe wireless repeater or the wireless router to adjust one or morewireless network parameters associated with the wireless network.
 19. Amethod for identifying a wireless network problem and initiateperformance of one or more operations or actions that address thewireless network problem, the method comprising: receiving, by a drone,an instruction to analyze a wireless network of a property; in responseto receiving the instruction to analyze the wireless network of theproperty, traveling, by the drone, to a zone of the property;determining, by the drone and based on an analysis of one or morecharacteristics of the wireless network that, the wireless networkproblem exists at the zone; and based on determining that the wirelessnetwork problem exists: activating, by the drone, a wireless routingcomponent that is housed within the body of the drone; after theactivation of the wireless routing component, evaluating, by the drone,respective signal strengths of the wireless network at differentlocations within the zone; based on the evaluation of the respectivesignal strengths of the wireless network at different locations withinthe zone, determining, by the drone, that the activation of the wirelessrouting component increased signal strengths at one or more of thedifferent locations within the zone; and confirming, by the drone, thatthe wireless network problem is attributable to placement of an externalnetwork component within the zone.
 20. The method of claim 19, whereinreceiving, by the drone, the instruction to analyze the wireless networkof the property comprises: receiving, by the drone, a request to performa wireless network diagnostic for the zone of the property from amonitoring system control unit that is configured to monitor sensor datagenerated by one or more sensors at the property, wherein the monitoringsystem control unit provides the request to the drone responsive todetermining that the monitoring system control unit cannot communicatewith a sensor that is located in a particular zone of the property.